by MK
The picturesque city of Trieste, long celebrated for its historic charm, is now grappling with a troubling rise in crime. Pietro Ostuni, the head of Trieste’s police, addressed these growing concerns in an exclusive interview, candidly discussing the challenges his force faces.
“I will be very honest. I don’t like to say things that don’t reflect real life,” Ostuni began. “In essence, for a while now, various situations have been happening in Trieste. These are connected to the many new arrivals of immigrants over the past years—people who are requesting political asylum. The paperwork takes time, and some who are unable to integrate or are not free to integrate, unfortunately, commit crimes.”
The chief’s comments come against a backdrop of increasing incidents involving unaccompanied foreign minors in the past few weeks downtown Trieste. “I said it during the last police celebrations, and I have no problem repeating it: if the unaccompanied minors are accepted- we are talking about people younger than 18 years of age – these people have to be monitored and put on an educational path,” Ostuni stressed. “When this doesn’t happen, and where there is a lack of attention in the communities, it’s obvious that these people are more at risk. For them, the only option left is to hang out in certain piazzas of the city, among them Piazza Goldoni in particular.”
Trieste currently hosts approximately 1,500 immigrants, alongside 300 minors, resulting in a significant strain on local resources. “Thus, there are 1,800 people that have to be monitored and helped with integration. If this doesn’t happen, where there is no integration or the possibility of work, it’s clear that these people become attracted to criminal activity,” Ostuni explained. Despite these challenges, he emphasized the steadfast presence and effectiveness of law enforcement. “Almost every situation, 99% of the crimes that happened, we were able to find the responsible party. We always take immediate action. We are present.”
In light of these developments, Ostuni firmly stated that citizens should not feel compelled to alter their daily routines. “Absolutely not. The citizens have to continue living their lives. We can’t tell the citizens not to live. They have the right to live their lives and not to change it.”
Ostuni advocated for cultural initiatives to reclaim and revitalize areas facing decline. “I would like to see cultural initiatives in the spots that are under investigation. Sometimes, I think an antique market that is usually held downtown or the various fruit and vegetable markets could revive the places where there’s greater decline and distress. These could motivate these people to behave better, but especially reclaim these spaces by the citizens to whom they belong.”
As Trieste navigates these turbulent times, the police chief’s call for cultural engagement and community resilience resonates as a beacon of hope for restoring the city’s lost charm.
